Chapter 24

Having drained three victims in the depths, the Water-Terrestrial Twin-Born Female Grudge Demon could no longer wait. It began to claw its way toward the shore, seeking fresh prey. Luo Binghe’s expression turned icy. He snapped his fingers, and a tongue of flame ignited at his fingertip. Fueled by a surge of spiritual energy, he flicked it toward the lurking fiend. The moment it touched a single strand of the creature’s hair, the flame exploded into a roaring blaze, forcing the mass of black filaments to recoil swiftly back into the water, not daring to approach the land. The entire sequence was fluid, devastating, and left no room for retreat. In his mind, Shen Qingqiu held up a scorecard: Luo Binghe: ten out of ten!

Luo Binghe retrieved the Night-Luminous Pearl that Qin Wanyue had dropped in her panic. Holding it high like a beacon to steady the shaken disciples, he commanded, “Do not scatter! Gather together!” Then, he produced the standard-issue signal flare provided to every participant of the Immortal Alliance Conference and fired it into the sky.

These flares were meant for disciples who encountered demons they could not handle. The Conference never released overly dangerous fiends, and using a flare three times resulted in automatic disqualification. Thus, throughout the history of the Conference, few had ever actually used them unless absolutely desperate. Yet now, across the sky above the Valley of No Return, brilliant blossoms of light began to bloom one after another. It should have been a beautiful sight, but at this moment, the flares held no splendor—only terror.

Every flare that rose meant another disciple had encountered a horrifying demon, their life in mortal peril.

“The crystal mirrors! Look at the crystal mirrors!”

Screams and cries of alarm poured from the viewing mirrors. Some disciples already lay dead on the ground; others were locked in bloody struggle, their eyes wide with fear. “Why? Why are these here… This shouldn’t be!”

“Someone, help! Master, save me! Senior Brother, hel—”

Suddenly, a hoarse shriek echoed from one mirror, followed by the piercing, agonized cry of a spirit hawk. The image flickered and went black.

The crowd murmured in confusion. “What happened?”

That rasping shriek could only belong to a Bone-Hawk, a vicious, bloodthirsty flying demon from the demon realm. That spirit hawk had likely been torn apart and devoured, its crystal mirror shattered along with it.

Demons that swam in water, walked the earth, flew in the air… These savage creatures of the demon realm could never have been part of the Conference’s arrangements.

Though he had braced himself, witnessing such large-scale chaos unfolding before his eyes still sent a chill down Shen Qingqiu’s spine. His fingertips went cold as he realized he could not, after all, treat this as merely an intense theatrical performance, as he had once naively imagined.

Outside the Valley of No Return, the high viewing platform was in an uproar. A Daoist priest from Tianyi Temple shouted, “What is the meaning of this? The demons selected and released for the Immortal Alliance Conference undergo strict screening and regulation. How could a purebred demon like the Female Grudge Demon have infiltrated the grounds!”

Several disciples from Illusory Flower Palace had already perished. The Old Palace Master rose abruptly to his feet. “Open the barrier!”

The immense barrier sealing the Valley of No Return was maintained by nearly a hundred monks from Zhaohua Temple. The Abbot immediately prepared to use a long-range communication spell to order the monks to dismantle it. Unexpectedly, Yue Qingyuan suddenly declared, “It cannot be opened!”

The Old Palace Master stared. “Sect Leader Yue, what do you mean by this?”

With over a hundred Cang Qiong Mountain Sect disciples participating in the Conference, Yue Qingyuan’s refusal to allow the barrier’s removal—and thus the disciples’ escape—must have a profound reason.

Shen Qingqiu had already deduced the reasoning and answered on Yue Qingyuan’s behalf. “If the barrier is lifted, the disciples could indeed flee. But the demons currently trapped inside would also scatter in all directions. Villages and settlements lie only a few miles from here. The situation would grow far more dire. Disciples of our various sects at least possess the ability to contend with these fiends. But the ordinary common folk, who lack any spiritual power…”

His words left the assembled sect leaders and venerable elders on the platform in a dead silence. In such a moment, even the mightiest Core Formation or Nascent Soul cultivator would be powerless to reverse the tide.

A priest, utterly lost, stammered, “If we cannot open the barrier to let them out… then what should we do?”

Liu Qingge stated flatly, “If they cannot come out, then we must go in.”

The members of Cang Qiong Mountain exchanged a look of perfect understanding. Yue Qingyuan said solemnly, “Fellow Daoists, today’s events are undoubtedly the deliberate work of a malicious actor, seeking to use these demons to wipe out the new talents and future pillars of the cultivation world in one fell swoop. The only course now is to maintain the barrier. Are there any Fellow Daoists willing to join Cang Qiong Mountain in entering the valley, cleansing the demons, and rescuing the participating disciples?”

To carve a path through the valley and purge it of demons would require not only martial prowess, but immense courage.

The Old Palace Master was the first to respond. “Illusory Flower Palace will not shirk its duty.”

His sect had sent the most participants and invested the most resources into this Conference; they stood to lose the most. With a leader stepping forward, others quickly followed, volunteering one after another. Even the few who had initially felt timid were now awakened to reality: their own precious, talented disciples were trapped inside!

Shen Qingqiu took a step forward, about to join the line of volunteers, when Liu Qingge shifted slightly, the scabbard of his sword blocking Shen Qingqiu’s path.

Without changing expression, Shen Qingqiu used two fingers to push the scabbard aside. “What is the meaning of this?”

Liu Qingge said succinctly, “Your poison.”

Yue Qingyuan nodded. “Correct. The remnants of the ‘No Cure’ poison still linger in your system. Leave the safety of Qing Jing Peak’s disciples to us.” If the poison were to flare up suddenly amidst a horde of demons, leaving him with clogged spiritual energy and surrounded… he would truly be beyond all help.

Shen Qingqiu shook his head. “What kind of master hides safely on a high platform while his disciples are in peril? If I cannot protect my own disciples, I have no right to remain Peak Lord of Qing Jing.”

Besides, he was a crucial figure for triggering key plot points. If he didn’t show up, the scene couldn’t proceed.

Ding-dong. A system prompt appeared: [By shaping a positive image and adding depth to the villain, B-Points +30!]

Shen Qingqiu rolled his eyes internally. Is this giving me a candy just before the blade falls?

Unable to dissuade him, Yue Qingyuan and the others could only say helplessly, “Then you must be extremely careful. If you find yourself unable to cope, summon us for aid immediately.”

Shen Qingqiu was not as pessimistic about his own ability to handle demons. Beyond his confidence in his own cultivation and spiritual power, it was also because his interest in the various demons of Proud Immortal Demon Way far exceeded his interest in the female characters. He might not remember which heroine liked to go stargazing with Luo Binghe after a minor grievance, or sometimes even match names to faces, but he knew the attributes and weaknesses of every single type of demon with absolute clarity!

Aside from knowing the plot, if there was anything on him that could be called a “golden finger”… this was it!

Inside the Valley of No Return, Luo Binghe was busy settling the terrified Junior Sisters and Brothers. At a time like this, scattering in panic was the worst possible move. Running into new demons or getting separated again would only worsen the situation.

The night wind howled. From all directions came the sounds of wailing and snarling—whether from humans or demonic creatures was unclear. Those with weaker nerves had already collapsed, hugging their heads and weeping. Qin Wanyue’s face was deathly pale, but seeing Luo Binghe leaning against a tree, Zheng Yang sword held before him, calm yet vigilant, blocking all threats from the darkness, she felt a thread of tender affection and sweetness stir within her helplessness.

If Shen Qingqiu were here, he would be burning with gossipy excitement: Girl, you’ve already fallen for him!

Just then, a rustling sound came from a nearby thicket. Luo Binghe’s gaze sharpened. A stream of spiritual energy gathered in his palm, ready to be unleashed.

The rustling from the bushes grew louder, closer. Every heart leapt into its owner’s throat. Perhaps fear had reached its peak, for no one screamed.

Suddenly, a thud echoed, as if someone had fallen. Then, something round and lumpy came rolling out of the grass.

It was a human head.

The eyes were tightly shut, the face smeared with blood, the hair a tangled bird’s nest. The sight should have been terrifying, but at this moment, a powerless dead man’s head was still preferable to a man-eating demon. Several of the disciples actually sighed in relief.

Qin Wanyue stammered, “…This… this Senior Brother… does anyone know which sect he belongs to?”

Disciples from various sects cautiously moved closer to look, then relaxed. “He’s not one of ours.” “Never seen him before.”

Luo Binghe glanced into the dark depths of the thicket, thinking that where the head was, the body must be nearby. It would be best to check the robes to identify the sect. Strengthening the spiritual flow in his palm, he advanced into the darkness.

Sure enough, a stiff corpse lay behind the bushes, clad in the pale blue robes of a Tianyi Temple novice disciple. Luo Binghe sighed as soon as he saw the hem. A novice of this level had likely come to the Conference merely to gain experience, never expecting to be caught in a sudden catastrophe and lose his life.

He looked up further, and froze.

This corpse’s neck was still perfectly attached to its head!

Then where had that other head come from?

Without turning back, Luo Binghe drew Zheng Yang. In a blaze of white light, he shouted, “Get away from that head!”

Before his words finished, the head that had lain quietly on the ground suddenly opened its eyes!

It glared furiously at the crowd. From beneath its neck, eight long, slender, jointed spider legs covered in barbs shot out. It leapt into the air!

The closest disciple had no time to react. The thing leaped onto his head. Screaming hysterically, the man drew his sword and began slashing wildly at the air, forcing the others to scramble back. Luo Binghe hesitated to strike—if his blade hit the man’s skull instead of the monster, the consequences would be unthinkable.

To have such a horrifying creature crawling over one’s scalp was a suffocating terror. Driven to utter despair, the disciple reversed his grip, aiming the point of his sword at his own head. But before he could lift it, the eight slender, jointed spider legs found their mark and drove straight through both his temples!

The man’s body went rigid. His tongue seemed to knot itself—not a single cry escaped. As the spider legs extending from beneath the neck pushed deeper, his entire frame convulsed violently. In the span of a breath, the eight legs withdrew, leaving behind only ragged, bloody holes in his temples. His cranial cavity seemed to have been sucked completely dry, hollow and empty.

The scene was so appalling that even Luo Binghe was momentarily stunned. The human-headed spider monster, now sated with brain matter, clambered over the corpse, emitting a shrill, piercing shriek that sounded like the wail of an infant.

Just then, a luminous arrow condensed from spiritual energy shot through the air. It pierced clean through the creature’s wide-open, howling mouth.

In the sudden, dead silence that followed, beneath the stunned gazes of the crowd, Shen Qingqiu rubbed his ears, which had begun to ache from the creature’s screeching. With deliberate slowness, he shook out his sleeve, snapped open his folding fan, and remarked languidly, "What a dreadful noise."

For a grand entrance, it was remarkably understated.